University of Nevada School of Medicine
For immediate release: February 22, 2006

Contact: Emily Wofford
Marketing & Communications
775-784-6001
ewofford@unr.edu

University of Nevada School of Medicine and Washoe County Library to display Michael Nye exhibit highlighting mental health concerns

Reno, Nev.—Renowned photographer Michael Nye is bringing his multi-media exhibit “Fine Line: Mental Health / Mental Illness” to Reno. The exhibit will be displayed at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and the Northwest Reno Library during the months of March and April.

“Fine Line” is a documentary of voices, stories and portraits that confronts stereotypes and reveals courage and fragility of those living with mental illness. Mr. Nye spent four years photographing and recording these very personal stories. Schizophrenia, depression, obsessive-compulsive, anxiety and bi-polar disorders are among the experiences considered.

“I don’t know where mental health ends and mental illness begins,” says Mr. Nye. “This exhibit is about the fine line that moves through all of our lives as we weave our ways forward. It is about the recognition of our vulnerabilities and the fragility of control.”

The nationally touring exhibit consists of 55 black-and-white portraits and coordinating audio stories of individuals touched by mental illness. The aim of “Fine Line” is to draw viewers and listeners closer into each life by addressing and exploring many topics: family, confusion, pain, abuse, treatment and healing.

Mr. Nye will provide the keynote address at the exhibit’s opening reception on March 9 at 5:15 p.m. at the University of Nevada School of Medicine Pennington Medical Education Building. Following Mr. Nye’s remarks, Dr. Barbara Kohlenberg will facilitate a panel discussion between experts and families affected by mental illness. Programming will conclude at 6:15 p.m. and visitors may enjoy the artwork and refreshments until the reception concludes at 7:30 p.m.

“Fine Line” will be displayed at the University of Nevada School of Medicine Pennington Medical Education Building from March 9 through March 31. The exhibit will then be displayed at the Northwest Reno Library, 2325 Robb Drive, from April 6 through April 27.

A community coalition including the University of Nevada School of Medicine, VSA Arts of Nevada, Nevada Humanities and the Washoe County Library System will offer programming to complement “Fine Line” throughout the months of March and April. Panel and book group discussions, lectures, and movie viewings highlighting the ethics of mental health will be offered throughout the community. For a full list of events or for more information about the exhibit please visit www.medicine.nevada.edu or www.washoe.lib.nv.us.

Mr. Nye lives in San Antonio a few blocks from the Alamo. He practiced law for 10 years before pursuing photography full time. He has displayed more than 30 one-person exhibits in museums and universities around the nation. Nye has been a recipient of a Mid-America National Endowment for the Arts grant in photography, the 2003 Kronkosky Foundation grant, and a participant in two Arts America tours in the Middle East and Asia. He has lectured widely in Morocco, India, and many museums and universities worldwide. He is married to poet Naomi Shihab Nye and has one son, Madison.

The “Fine Line: Mental Health / Mental Illness” exhibit is funded by the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Washoe County Library System, Nevada Arts Council, Nevada Humanities, Hilliard Endowment Fund, UNR Work and Family Task Force, Washoe County School District, and the non-profit Friends of Washoe County Library. For more information please visit www.medicine.nevada.edu or www.washoe.lib.nv.us.

As the state’s only public medical school, the University of Nevada School of Medicine has been meeting statewide healthcare, educational, and clinical needs since 1969. For more information, please visit www.medicine.nevada.edu.

This program has been made possible, in part, through a grant from the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.